Chapter 39: Game Breaking

Honestly, I was pretty stoked about our mission within the war-game. It was the best use of our squad, and even though it was just a game, it would earn us some good reputation within the village. Plus, when it leaked, which it would, it would give the world a totally incorrect impression of me. Instead of being “that scary fucker with ridiculous strategic-class jutsu” I'd be “that monster you cannot fight at close range.”

It was basic strategy, laid out by Sun-Tzu. Appear weak where you are strong, and strong where you are weak. While my close range combat was good, it wasn't really the best, especially if they could overcome my Presence. Engage me at mid to long range though? You'd be lucky to last seconds. And shaping enemy engagements that way helped my survivability a lot. My new armor, even though it wasn't a full set of body seals, took care of a lot of the threats that fell under the category of “ranged assassination” methods, and my body was highly resistant to even the deadliest toxins due to the absurd levels of chakra powering my Uzumaki bloodline and Kurama’s assistance.

The war-games started at dawn on a Monday, with the first six hours being restricted to your “starting-zone” to make traps, defenses and preparations. The war-games ended at sunrise on Saturday, or when one side had won. During those first hours, Yasu set up protections for Sachiko and a trapped fall-back position for our squad, while Sachiko launched one of her Pelicans and I prepared the jamming-seal. Off to the side, there was a judge with a black and yellow striped sash and head-cover watching our team. With our tasks completed, we ate some food and caught a quick nap. Ten minutes before the games started, I trotted over to the examiner.

“Examiner-san, I have a question. You are using a seal-based communications system, correct?” I asked.

“Yes, why?”

“This seal,” I answered, pointing at the seal I had prepared, “will jam all Konoha communication seals in the region. I was wondering if this fell under the rules for wide-effect jutsu that the judges make orders on to simulate rather than the jutsu actually getting used.” The examiner looked pretty interested at the possibilities.

“You can do that? Let me ask my superior.” He activated the communication seal, then spent a few moments talking to one of the higher examiners. “Alright, so the ruling is, if you can activate it for thirty seconds at the start of the test, then deactivate it, and we will issue a ruling not to use communication seals in this combat area.”

“Thank you, examiner-san. As a note, my squad's communications are immune to this particular seal, and I have left a communicator with my commander that is on our communications net.” With the ruling given, I returned to Yasu and Sachiko. I gave the seal to Sachiko to activate it when the round started. Yasu and I went to the edge of our starting zone, ready to blitz through the forest and attack the enemy command post about one mile away. We heard a loud trumpet-call starting the exams, and were off.

“Comms check,” I called out as we ran through the woods.

“Yasu, up,” Yasu replied.

“Sachiko, up. Jammer active. Pelican overhead. Showing your targetting information too,” Sachiko added. The HUD-projector seal that I used could link in with the Pelican controls, allowing me to effectively designate targets. A few seconds later, Sachiko continued. “Showing one messenger squad, three chunin candidates at a guess, leaving the command post. Orders?”

“Just the one? Track, do not engage until out of sight, then engage with DEWS.” We were already coming up on the post, and entering the boundary of the enemy's starting region. Yasu took point, and we both started moving more slowly, checking for traps using our sensing and special vision modes to notice the reflection from wires. Yasu had a Void Sensor, a seal that used vibrations to detect hidden rooms or spaces, but that could also detect pit-traps. He pointed a few out to me, and we traced a safe path through the defenses.

“Targets out of sight of the command post, now engaging. Target one and two down,” I heard from Sachiko. “Target three evading, target three down.” The messenger squad was officially “dead” now. The enemy was likely in a bit of disarray from having their communications disabled, and a messenger from the general combat zone was likely headed our way to find out what was happening.

“Good job,” I replied. “Keep an eye out for reinforcements or an investigation unit from their main force.”

“Will do.”

By now, Yasu and I had made it to the edge of the woods surrounding the enemy command post, which was now about a hundred meters away. It was a small, fortified compound with a stone wall that many ninja could simply jump over, and a small stone keep and training ground on the inside. It was likely based off of a military outpost designed for local bandit suppression, with a total population of up to a century, or eighty men and officers. There were likely only a few squads inside. At a guess, one jonin participating in the exam (the Blue commander), a squad of jonin candidates, three to five squads of chunin candidates, and a few dozen clones provided by the judges. That last hundred meters between us and the compound were over open ground. The time for stealth had passed.

“We're about to make the assault. Death Experience up in 10 seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Attack!” Yasu, of course, could hear me, and Sachiko could too through the communications seal we used. As I said the word “Attack,” I flared my presence up to a high setting, and directed my Death Experience at the outpost. I could see a pair of lookouts collapse. At a sprint, we cleared the ground, using Wind and Water jutsu to clear out any mines or traps, then leaped onto the wall. We sent a flurry of capture-bolas, a weapon designed for non-lethal take-down and incapacitation via seals, into the squad of enemies that had been on patrol when they were overwhelmed by my Death Experience.

“Yasu, break off and find the hostages, then get them out. I'm going for their commander,” I said after we blew through a second story wall into a corridor. Pro-ninja tip; even if you blow through the entry-way, it could be trapped or defended. Blowing through a second (or third, depending on building height) story wall into a corridor, especially where there wasn't a window to sneak in, had the lowest probability of being trapped.

He nodded, and set off to the left, looking for the pair of physically small, genin sized chakra signatures given off by the clones pretending to be hostages. I meanwhile went right, towards the concentration of jonin level signatures. I passed a pair of collapsed chunin candidates who had been guarding the entrance to the room with the high level signatures, and slapped on capture-seals. In the room, there were a trio of jonin candidates, the Blue Commander, the Blue Leader, and a judge, all incapacitated and semi-catatonic. It looked like they had been able to at least resist my Presence at long range, as they had drawn weapons and arranged themselves in a defensive posture, but were overcome when I got closer.

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Taking out a dull kunai with paint to simulate wounds, I “executed” the usurper’s stand in, and used capture seals on the jonin and jonin candidates.

“Command center taken. Four officers captured, enemy leader executed,” I reported to my teammates. “Yasu, what's happening?”

“Breaching the hostage room now. Hostages secure, I am returning to the fallback. Sachiko, can I get some cover? I'll be leaving how we came in.”

“Sure. Good job, guys,” I heard Sachiko say. And it really was. The op went down pretty much as well as could have been hoped. Hostages safely rescued, enemy leader dead, no casualties, total capture of remaining enemy forces.

“Alright, I'm going to pull back on the Presence. I think we got everyone inside the base. Time to see how many will turn to our side.” With that, I dropped my Death Experience, and watched as everyone regained consciousness.

For most, it was a bit of a disturbing wake-up; no ninja likes to wake up unable to control their body after being knocked out, and the judge was the only one that wasn't restrained with a capture seal. For the examiner though, after he figured out what was going on, he clearly thought the situation hilarious. He wasn't openly laughing, but the scene was pretty funny.

One battle-hardened jonin, supposed commander of an entire faction’s forces, and three experienced jonin candidates all captured, all glaring at me. All of them at least in their twenties. And then, me, grinning a bit, fourteen years old, not yet fully grown, having beaten them within minutes after overcoming not just them and their guards and over six hours worth of traps, but having beaten them without even being seen.

How's that for ninja!

“Gentlemen, your leader is dead. I am here to offer you an opportunity to join our team, the winning team, and show you're capable of more than fainting. What say you?” They were, of course, silent. The seal didn't let them talk.

“Oh, silly me, I forgot!” I said while making a handseal and triggering the “interrogation” mode of the capture seal. It still screwed with the nerves below the neck and the chakra system, but at least allowed them to talk. I could see them moving their jaws a bit as the numbness wore off. Then one of them, the group's commander who looked a bit like a Nara, spoke up.

“Hah. How irritating. Now I know why cousin Shikata was so cheerful, with you as a trump. I guess we'll join you.”

“Fantastic. Now, let's collect the rest of the chunin candidate guards, and go turn the main combat troops. Forward for Red!”

Honestly, this childishness on my part was also part of the plan. While I wanted to win, and become a jonin, I also wanted to avoid the main combat forces. It was dangerous, uncomfortable and unnecessary. I much preferred working on my seals, training, and the occasional investigation or domestic operation. Relations with Sachiko in a military ninja unit would also have been much more difficult. And, to this goal of slacking being seen as a genius, politically important eccentric unsuited to larger military forces would be useful. Short of a major conflict brewing, I'd likely be able to avoid it.

After collecting and getting the allegiance of the chunin candidates, all save one with some anger management issues who we had to “kill”, and Yasu handing off the hostages to their escort out of the combat zone, we proceeded to the main combat zone.

Coming through our ranks, I began to project glory towards myself and my allies, the futility of challenging us, and a rather large heaping of sheer power to show that I could back up what I said, then released a massive Flash-bang firework to make sure I had everyone's attention. At my suggestion, Red forces had withdrawn a bit, and I had everyone's attention. I cast a voice-amplifying wind jutsu and began to speak.”

“Forces of the usurper! Your Lord is dead. Your commanders have changed sides. Those that follow their rightful ruler, and join us will be forgiven their misguided actions,” I channeled pride, desire, rightfulness, hope for a better future. “Those that do not will be destroyed,” at this, I channeled sheer Doom. Not quite Death, but more the idea that no matter what they try, they will fail. Having a lengthy death-sentence on my head in my past life, I was rather adept with this power too.

Those listening and feeling weren't thinking of this as an exam anymore. Oh sure, those at the edges of the zone, or those that were at the very top of their game might have resisted. But given the situation (their side had already lost), my influence, the defection of their strategic leadership, and now so many of them removing their blue sashes, only a few die-hards were willing to keep going, and they were quickly overwhelmed.

Our objective completed, our squad returned to the command post while the newly unified Northern Force got organized and went to the waiting zone until they could deploy to the “Southern Combat Region,” where the Blue remnants and White forces were still in conflict.

Yasu, Sachiko and I launched our Custom Pelicans, and got an examiner to rule them within striking range in fifteen minutes. So for a few minutes, they flew circles above our battleground, as we looked over maps of the White Command Post and likely enemy locations. Ruled within range, we unleashed (imaginary) hell. Many of the examiners had served with Uzumaki Pelican support, and after we described what munitions we were loaded with, they quickly ruled a complete destruction while we put on a bit of a fireworks show by launching munitions into the air.

We purposefully left a mercenary company messenger post alone so that they could bring word of the “destruction” to the remaining White forces, most of whom chose to E&E (escape and evade) for at least some points. The White forces were simulating operating as mercenaries in a foreign area; a successful E&E back to Konoha meant at least avoiding losing those ninja, so it was worth something.

As the White forces melted away, the newly enlarged Red forces showed up, swallowed up the majority of the remaining Blue, and hunted down any White groups that hadn't ran fast enough. The conflict, which had been scheduled for a few days, was over before nightfall. We, as the architects of this victory, were pretty stoked. Our commander came over with a smile that seemed a bit exasperated.

“Congratulations,” he stated.

“Thank you, commander,” I replied with a grin. He sighed.

“You do realize you've completely broken this exam, don't you?” he asked. I shrugged in response.

“What can I do? We're just too awesome,” I said smiling a bit more.

“Truly a troublesome squad. I suspect they'll re-run the exam starting tomorrow, but without you participating.”

“Ah, I do apologize. Your plans will need to be re-worked.”

“Yes. Well, if I can win a second time I'm fairly sure to be get the position I want, so it's not all bad.”

“And you avoided any issues in having me assigned to you,” I commented.

“I said no such thing,” he protested fake-innocently with a smirk. I laughed. “Anyways, well done. Good luck with your promotion board; I don't think I need to say it, but it was interesting working with you. I'd like to do so again in the future, and will be strongly recommending your promotion to jonin.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said sincerely. That was a pretty hefty compliment. “I'll look forward to working together in the future as well.”

It turned out that Shikata's suspicions were correct. We were told by an examiner that the exam was being repeated to get a better idea as to how others would perform, but that our squad was excused.

The promotion boards were pushed back a day, and so we had a full ten days before our boards, and a total of two weeks until the promotion ceremonies. From how Sachiko was looking at me, I figured that a lot of the time was going to be spent in my bedroom. Yasu picked up on her look and my grin, and told us he was going camping and training, and to contact him if anything came up.

In the back of my head a certain primordial entity just chuckled.